World

December 17, 2008

Rioters were back in the streets of two Greek cities Tuesday, renewing the violence that had appeared to be winding down. The most notable clashes came in Athens, the capital, where youths hurled firebombs at police headquarters and seized a state-TV news studio, interrupting a broadcast and urging viewers to join them. In Thessaloniki, police used tear gas to disperse other young people protesting against a court ruling that suspended the sentences of eight officers who'd been found guilty of abusing an earlier demonstrator.

Thousands of delegatescheered Tuesday as South Africa's new political party, the Congress of the People, ended its founding convention, vowing that national politics "will never be the same again." The party, made up largely of defectors from the ruling African National Congress (ANC), chose ex-Defense Minister Mosiuoa Lekota as its leader. It isn't expected to threaten the ANC's majority in Parliament in next year's election, but analysts said the latter clearly is worried about the loss of so many of its members. Symbolically, the convention was held in the city of Bloemfontein, which the ANC considers its own birthplace.

Political chaos deepened in Somalia Tuesday as President Abdullahi Yusuf appointed a new prime minister, shrugging off Parliament's reinstatement of the man he fired. The nominee: Mohamoud Mohamed Gouled, a little-known legislator but a close ally of Yusuf. Against that backdrop, neighboring Kenya announced a range of sanctions against Yusuf and his family, calling him "an obstacle to peace."

Almost two years of emergency rule will end Wednesday, and civil liberties that had been suspended will be restored, Bangladesh's military-backed government said. The announcement came on the 37th anniversary of independence from Pakistan. The state of emergency was declared by President Iajuddin Ahmed in January 2007 to halt weeks of violence in the streets between followers of the two largest political parties.

Former communist rebels in Nepal have failed to meet their own deadline for paying compensation or returning private property seized in the decade-long campaign to topple the monarchy, the main opposition party in Parliament said. The ex-rebels, who now control government, had promised to hand back by Monday the homes, farmland, and other property taken from thousands of Nepalis they considered enemies. The chief of the UN mission there said the former rebels also have yet to fulfill other commitments of the 2006 peace treaty, among them setting up a reconciliation commission.

With helicopters hovering overhead, police raided cities and towns across Sicily Tuesday, arresting almost 90 suspected Mafia figures. A similar sweep was under way in Italy's Tuscany region. The operation, said to be of "historic" proportions, was aimed at thwarting an attempt to rebuild the criminal ring following the arrest of its top leader and his closest aides two years ago.

At least 24 Russian tourists who'd just arrived in Israel were killed Tuesday and 36 others were hurt when the driver of the bus ferrying them from the airport lost control and the vehicle landed on its side in a deep ravine. The accident, one of the worst there in years, occurred near the Red Sea resort of Eilat, a popular destination for European visitors.